Vaibhav Sooryavanshi departs in yet another underwhelming outing for India A

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi caught eyeballs with his stunning performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026; however, his recent performances for India A during the ongoing one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka have been rather below expectations. In the latest innings against Sri Lanka A, the opening batter departed for just 21 after facing 14 deliveries, falling prey to Sahan Arachchige.

Sooryavanshi came out to open alongside fellow batter Prabhsimran Singh. The youngster got an excellent start, smashing three boundaries and a six off the pacers Mohamed Shiraz and Chamika Gunasekara. However, the Lankans were quick to bring spinner Arachchige in, and the move worked wonders, as Sooryavanshi miscued a flighted ball to find the point fielder, getting out off a poor shot selection.

This marked the third consecutive time in the series that Sooryavanshi has failed to make his start count. In the first match of the series, he had scored just 14 while opening in the first innings. As India A faced Afghanistan A for their second game, Sooryavanshi had a cautious start to the innings, mostly playing ground shots. However, he could not hold on for a long time, falling for a score of a quickfire 44.

Sooryavanshi has already been selected to play for the senior Indian side, slated to make his international debut against Ireland in the upcoming two-match series in Belfast. However, it will be a huge confidence booster for the 15-year-old to get some runs under his belt ahead of shining on the biggest stage. 

While Sooryavanshi's consistency and longevity in T20 cricket were proven through his IPL blitzkrieg, the selectors will surely be waiting for him to be as good in 50-over formats as well before eventually handing the Bihar-born his ODI call-up. A string of failures in the ongoing tri-series indicates that an ultra-aggressive mindset may not work in the more traditional formats.

Meanwhile, one man who has been a consistent performer for the Indian team in the A series has been star batter Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Pune-born smashed a brilliant century in the first match of the series and followed it up with a well-compiled half-century in the next clash. In the most recent outing, Ruturaj made 37 off 42, trying to save his side from a collapse.